Claim: A Starbucks barista tried to fatten up the Olsen twins with whole milk

This is one of those unnamed-source stories that has an 80% chance of being b.s., but... a former barista at a New York West Village store has supposedly come forward and admitted to switching whole milk for skim when making drinks for Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen. Slow news day? You bet! (Read the Gawker.com item)

Comments

[Elizabeth Ruth]

I've done it before, not to the Olson twins but to skinny rude women!

[Jewels]

Wouldn't you think that ANYONE could tell the difference between nonfat and whole milk?

[MusicGal]

Oh yeah... slow news day all around. And a former barista who wanted some publicity.

[Ettal]

This is a tragedy of biblical proportions that warrants nothing less than a congressional hearing and DNA samples from everyone involved. I am rocked to my core.

[Zipy]

I would never do this to a customer, but we've talked about doing it to lazy/alwayslate/alwayswantstoleaveearly partners.. haha.

We also talked about doing a thing where we make a french press every time said partner comes in, and pair it with something really bad. Keep the timer going while doing the pairing first. The idea being that you do it enough, you'll train them to want say - chocolate - everytime the timers go off.

It just sounds funny.

[Sho Nuff]

Kind of hard to fatten someone up when that latte is ALL they consume all day.

Haha. But seriously....I don't care how rude someone is, the worst I might do is make them decaf...Lord knows I don't want to remake their drink b/c they taste the milk difference...so usually I'm still going to do my job and just not be nice to them when they come back. Food-service 'revenge' is never really worth it...

[Posted By:]

Making a drink decaf is the worst you'll do? Really? Isn't that bad enough? It seems to me you're basically stealing from the customer by not making a drink the way they asked...on purpose! You, and anyone else that purposefully makes alterations to customers' drinks, should really be ashamed of yourself.

I hope your manager catches you doing this! You gross me out!

[Bob]

Somebody call the whaaaaaaaaaaaaambulance.

[Ryan]

ahaha Bob, you made my day! :-)

[CoffeeMaster33]

If someone's ever mean or rude, I'll usually try to just kill them with kindness, and instead of making their drink wrong, I'll try make the best drink ever. That way I know I've done an awesome job, and it'll help me get over the bad interaction, plus they probably won't be able to complain about the drink you made.

Seriously guys, giving people something other than what they ask for (eg. +/- sugar-free, non-fat/whole, de/caf, shooting whip into it etc) will just make them think you're terrible at your job, might make them complain to your manager, and get you written up or worse. Uncool.

[MyGiveADamn'sBusted]

Just want to put my two cents in here...What a pathetic post to have on this website...I dont care if its Mary-Kate, Ashley, Nellie, or any other Olsen or other celebrity for that matter. Lets post whats truly important here and not some rubbish.

[belle]

bullshit. People can totally tell when you switch milks. I accidentally gave someone whole when they wanted nonfat when someone switched the pitchers. The lady took a sip and flipped OUT.

[Stacy]

Bullshit. I don't care what type of drink you're sipping on, there is a MAJOR taste difference between whole and nonfat milk.

[Darleen]

I'm with you Stacy, you can definitely taste the difference. Also, mygiveadamnisbusted, maybe you should design a webpage then you can dictate what gets printed and what doesn't.

[barista]

Or when you know for 100% fact that you did NOT screw up, and they freak out and insist you did. Like the other day a woman wanted Breve, and I pulled out the half and half and steamed it just for her.

She FREAKED. She completely thought that I can made her drink with nonfat. And I was like uhhh..no ma'am, see my breve carton?

I was about to offer to remake it, and then I thought "no...if you offer to remake it then she'll think that you know you messed up and feel guilty about it. Let her try it and if she doesn't like it, remake it and MAKE SURE she watches for real this time!"

So she made a huge stink about it... then tried it and was like...oh. Its breve.

And left. Without and apology.

[cupajoe]

On another subject of health. I attended this years shareholders meeting as I have done for the last seven years. This year, When Howard walked out on stage, he appeared to be much thinner himself. I hope that it is due to "burning the midnight oil" trying to get this great machine running on all cylinders again. Just an observation.

[BAH]

I don't see why some people give a shit when someone on here says they've given a rude customer decaf. Be a bitch, get decaf....it's not the end of the world.

But then again, I'm just a bitter partner that's been treated like shit from most of their customers for the past 3 years.

[Sho Nuff]

Wow. In response to whoever flipped out on me. I was mostly joking...and I did say it was the worst I'd do, since it doesn't affect the taste too much (i would never alter the milk or syrups), plus, i've only done it a couple of times...and news flash...only to people who were extrememly rude...and I'm pretty sure my manager wouldn't care...because he cares about his employees and wouldn't expect me to let somebody speak to me the way some people do.

[Francesco]

... people spit in your food when you ask for correct change... and we're concerned over getting decaf?

Get over it. It'll happen for as long as there's a starbucks and rude customers.

People get what's coming to them. Sometimes it just takes what's coming to them. When someone yells at you because they think that their bad day is your fault... guess what? you're not getting caffeine. Get over it.

[Posted By:]

Maybe it's that I've only been doing this job for a few months and haven't had enough time to be a bitter barista, but I have figured out you get what you give. I give my best effort and attitude, and inevitably, that positiveness is reflected back from the customer...most of the time. There is still that once-in-a-while customer who is rude and off-putting; or, that stubborn customer who insists on ordering drinks with "small, medium, and large" and insists that YOU repeat "small, medium, and large" before acknowledging if a drink order is correct. Despite these types of customers and their rudeness, it is still my job to make their drinks to their specifications. If you can't deal with and handle rude customers without taking their B.S. personally, you need to double-check yourself and well, grow up.

[Corrupted Barista]

anon above me: Give yourself three more years in your store, and then post back. Ohh to be a new, uncorrupted Barista again...

[Ryan]

I had a drunk guy smash in my window today...the police found him though...good thing our stores glass is double plated! We called facilities immediately after the police came and we got an automated "call back later" message...weird.

[Cubana on the Rocks]

I just got home from an 8 hour shift and this article seriously made my day. I would never intentionally alter a customer's drink, but it's still funny as hell.

[StLouieDrip]

Anon, I hope you never change. I also agree that people who are into revenge need to check themselves, and also slowly step back from the coffee bar.

I don't care how you justify it, or how seldom you do it... intentionally switching ingredients in a customer's drink, for any reason at all, is despicable. And yes, even giving whole milk when it should be skim can be potentially very harmful to some people. And it's the same with the decaf. You really have no idea what you're doing.

And if your SM approves of your horrible behavior, that's just the evidence that your SM is as seriously misguided as you are, but it certainly doesn't make it right.

Also I agree with Coffeemaster, that it hurts you and the company, because it makes the customer think you're the incompetent one. Or when they get the drink made right by another partner, perhaps it makes them think the other person is the one who doesn't know how to properly make the drink.

[belle]

posted by- ha. Are you serious? Well, I guess I can remember that innocent time before rude customers had sucked the life out of me. It's pretty hard though.

you get what you give? Really? In what candy land fantasy do you live? I've had people chewing me out when they reached the register before I even said a word. I've had people completely shut down and quit on me. I've held new partners as they've cried over a customer who threw just one too many insults. Trust me, we're good people. I don't know about you, but I don't walk around with a "Please take a shit in front of my store" sign (didn't happen to me, happened at another store. True story). Nor do I think I, or anyone else who works for any coffee shop, deserve to be treated with contempt and blatant malice.

When you have people sneer at you for being too cheery in the morning when you've been up for over 24 hours... you'll change your tune. Or maybe you won't. Maybe you're one of the few who can take the heat.

[cloud]

It's sort of sad that you're method of retribution, so to speak, is to change someone's drink. The best you can do is decaf a drink?

I mean, some people spit in people's food, but I guess you all are out in the open and the customer would notice.

First, like I said, what a sad life you all lead that you have to "decaf" people to make it feel like you're getting back at some customer who you took something they said too personally.

What's sort of funny about this is that the customer has the true power. I mean, there's the obvious that the customer's always right and when you alter their order you're cheating them out of what they paid for. That's generally called stealing and looked down upon by general society. Second, the customer votes with their dollar. Some may just relocate to another Starbucks. If I understand it right, sales = hours, right? When you all can't afford your health insurance because you're not meeting minimums, I, the customer, will be laughing right outside your windows. Other customers might just go to another store altogether... which basically has the same effect.

It's not okay for a customer to be mean to you, but it's far more acceptable than stealing from them because you feel slighted in some way.

[cloud]

It's sort of sad that you're method of retribution

your*

[Marcus]

Funny, this happened to me yesterday, well not that the barista did it on purpose...

I ordered my iced grande latte solo, and I had already driven away when I noticed that it was very watery. I'm pretty sure I accidentally got somebody else's drink who ordered skim. So anyhow, I called the Starbucks to let them know. I'm not quite sure if they believed me or not, but they told me to say that I was entitled to a free drink the next time I came in.

So since I was around there yesterday afternoon, I went in for another iced grande latte, which was made very well that time. But, I ordered a bran apple walnut muffin, which was also good, until I bit into what I am assuming was a huge piece of clove. I had never done that before, and unless you have, it's hard to imagine how extremely pungent and bitter the taste is. I brushed my teeth and used mouthwash and was still tasting it the rest of the day. It even made my mouth kind of numb and tingly. So, I called them again, and I felt like they must think I was the biggest nut for calling twice in one day to complain. The second time I felt like they were even less inclined to believing me, and I didn't get any offers for a replacement. Oh well. Things happen.

[Mickey Blue Eyes]

I vote for b.s. I am not a coffee snob, but I can tell the difference between skim milk and whole milk in my latte. And if I were one of the Olsen twins, I'd throw a major hissy-fit, ala Jason Alexander in Brad Paisley's "Celebrity" video, if I even *suspected* it was not skim milk.

[Sho Nuff]

I think this whole thing is getting blown out of proportion. I said in another post on another topic that food service revenge is never really worth it in the long run...so it's not like I'm PROUD of myself for it, but it happens. I figure this is an open forum where I can discuss whatever frustration OR joy I have at work...and for the most part, I don't have any problems, and usually want to defend any complaints I read...but the truth is, you just can't win on this board b/c some posters are just too judgemental. Maybe that's judgemental of me. I've actually erased posts I've written b/c I just knew that people would jump all over me for being too positive about the company.

[Coffee Mistress]

Why I don't decaf customers.... I am a wretched human being until I get my coffee. Many of the people I know are the same. Did you ever think that the nasty customer NEEDS the caffeine? We have customers who usually get decaf unless they have a migrane. Ever had one of those? They will completely ruin anyone's cheery disposition. So, by depriving a customer of their caffeine fix, you are probably contributing to their awful mood.

[b]

I think that this shows that the Olsen girls aren't high maintenance. I mean, as pointed out by mnay other people, there is a major taste difference between whole and skim milk. The twins seemed to just take this in stride. I think that this "outcoming" just makes the company and baristas in general look bad.

[J]

Any of you baristas ever heard the phrase "an eye for an eye makes the whole world blind?" THAT is the reason I don't give decaf to customers, no matter how rude they are. It doesn't help.

Anyway, even if that barista DID give the Olsens whole milk lattes, she was probably trying to help (although I don't condone the "I know better than the customer" mentality). Didn't one of them go to rehab for an eating disorder? Just sayin'.

[Jonathan]

So, how many of you are aware that the protocol for charging customers for customized beverages has changed once again? I think the new way of charging the customers is great, because it will make our customers happy (they will be charged less), but the rollout of this new protocol, like many of our recent promotions, was POORLY executed communication-wise.

So, now, according to the updated Beverage Resource Manual, if a beverage does not come standard with a syrup, sauce, or dry ingredient, we are to charge ONCE for any combination of one of those three added to the beverage. So, for a Toffee Nut Latte, we would just charge for the Toffee Nut. If the customer wanted to add Caramel syrup in addition to the Toffee Nut, they would not be charged. Same with the "zebra mocha" -- the customer will now be charged just for a White Mocha, and not for both the White Mocha and the Mocha. And as always, we should charge for the more expensive of syrup/sauce/dry ingredients. So, a vanilla latte with caramel sauce would be rung up as LATTE, ADD CARAMEL SAUCE, because the caramel sauce is more expensive than the vanilla syrup.

You would think that the company would be concerned with CONSISTENCY in charging customers across all its stores in the US, wouldn't you? I don't know about you guys, but the only updates I saw regarding this change was on the Portal, which told us to update the Beverage Resource Manual and to review the new parts that had been changed. That was all. No training, no communication plan to baristas, nothing. I can already see a customer getting pissed off at getting charged for the peppermint syrup in their Peppermint Mocha at one store, and then not at another. Under the new protocol, they shouldn't be charged for the peppermint since the drink already comes with a sauce, but how many baristas do you think really know that?

Just venting.

J

[Brandon Fettig]

Wouldn't you charge though, since the mocha is a base beverage? I.E. if you rung up a Latte + Mocha + Peppermint, the peppermint wouldn't be charged.
But since the mocha is not "latte + mocha sauce + whip", the first additional syrup would be charged?

[Jonathan]

Hey Brandon,

Not according to the new, updated manual. Under the new rules, customers can add any amount of pumps/combinations to their beverage that they wish with no additional charge. It even has an example on one of the pages where it says a Tall 2-pump Caramel, 2-pump Toffee Nut latte should be charged as a LATTE, ADD SYRUP. It even says in parentheses that the customer should not be charged for two syrups.

Also, on the POS screen, the Peppermint White Mocha button comes up as the same price as a regular White Mocha.

So it is my understanding we are to no longer charge beyond the first sauce/syrup/dry ingredient in a beverage.

[Posted By:]

First, let me say that I am not new to the food service industry. I am not some 17-year-old taking on their first job. I have waited tables for many years. I graduated college, and before I took leave of my current profession to attend graduate school, I was dealing with people of all different ages on a daily basis. As a barista, I still do that now. So, yeah, maybe I have a lot of experience in dealing with people, and I know how to not let the little things bother me (most of the time).

There have been others on this site that have said, "Kill them with kindness." So true! At my store, we have a person that visits us several times a day and was quite rude to us at first. Eventually, she got to know us and us to her, and now, she has turned into one of our store's favorite customers.

I'll say it again, if you have to resort to changing a customer's drink to get back at them, you need to grow up. Mature up. Get over yourself and serve the customer the way you were originally trained.

[Me]

Wait a second, you were trained????????

:-)

[An Awesome Homosexual Partner in Washington]

Jonathan -
Thats not new. The old one said the same thing, just didn't give examples.

[Jonathan]

Awesome Homosexual Partner,

I respectfully disagree. The last version of the BRM we had stated that we were to charge customers for the second syrup added but no more after that. So, if they ordered a Caramel Toffee Nut Mocha, we would have charged them for a MOCHA, ADD SYRUP, SUB SYRUP.

With the updated version, we now charge them for just the MOCHA and sub everything else.

J

[Richard]

I find it kind of funny that a lot of people on starbucks gossip side with the customer in 'getting decaffed' situations. Do these people really feel that just because a customer is paying $5 for a drink, the customer gains the right to act extremely cruel, while expecting friendliness in return?

A man walked into my store the other day and asked for a bold coffee. Our district wasn't shipped any this week, so we were out. I told the man we were only brewing mild coffee, but I would love to give him an Americano for the same price as his bold coffee would have been. This man starting yelling at how inept I was, unable to simply brew coffee. I politely told the gentleman that we simply were not shipped any bold, but an Americano is a fine substitute and it would actually be on the house for him. He said he didn't care if we were shipped any or not or whether I would give him a free coffee. He then called me a retard and SPAT on me before storming away.

Am I supposed to kill this man with kindness? Am I supposed to offer him a recovery coupon? Next time I see that man I might just watch to see which car is his, and pelt it with giant rocks while he laughs in the cafe' with his friends. Well, I probably won't. I actually treat people with some courtesy.

If you say that a barista has no recourse against these type of people, though, you have a skewed look at the world. I imagine 'decaffing' some of these customers is a fair alternative where they might otherwise get a punch in the face.

Imagine a black slave not working hard for her master, or spitting in her masters soup. I can only IMAGINE how disappointed you would all be in her. Where is her professionalism?

[h-town bgirl]

Call your partner and asset protection partner with the incident report from this customer... I have a similar issue from a customer that comes into my store, and we now have him cited formally with trespassing... he has to go to court and everything, and hes no longer legally allowed in our store... keep the lines of communication open... and also... let it roll of your back... he had a stick up his ass, but you don't need to sit on one now to make up for it... keep up your professionalism

[CoffeeMaster33]

Reading some of these comments made me think of a time that two of my partners were treated terribly. Some people came in and wanted cold, decaffeinated drinks, so we told them our iced coffee can't come in decaf, but we could do an iced decaf americano, most of the cream based Frapps, etc. I wasn't around for all of the initial register/ordering, but came around once they'd gotten their drinks. It sounded like they were upset that we tried to give them caffeine, and that the partners didn't know what they were doing. I got called over (as the shift), and this woman told my partners that they should just keep their mouths shut. Another girl (who has a severe caffeine allergy) said that she would cut them with a knife.

This is when killing them with kindness stops. This is when giving them caffeine as revenge stops. This is when you step up and settle, or firmly ask that they leave. Some people might have given this customer caffeine instead of her decaf to try fight back, but she would have fainted in our cafe, and we probably would have gotten sued. Also, I've had a customer who was so allergic to whole milk that if we steamed her non-fat in a whole milk pitcher for whatever reason, she would stop us right away.

So think about what you're doing. If you feel like you're being seriously treated inappropriately, call your shift/manager, and don't be afraid to take ethical action. We may get crapped on a lot as baristas, but there is a line. Know what it is, and how to appropriately react when it is crossed.

PS. The new Starbucks Doubleshot on ice is amazing.

[cloud]

Richard,

Now I totally agree with you on that customer. Completely over the top. He had a point about the coffee not being there: not really his problem that his very simple expectation of a bold drip on tap wasn't happening. Yet, his recourse in letting you know of his problem (the cursing, the spitting, etc) is indeed over-the-top and inappropriate.

Yet... I wouldn't compare your job to slavery. That's offensive and extremely insensitive. You do your job at-will, completely voluntarily.

Now, that said, like someone above said, either step up, call out the abusive customer and properly handle them, or deal. Decaffing them isn't appropriate, ever, and is a pathetic retribution any way.

Take the high road, I say.

[Sho Nuff]

On drink charging: I was told from the beginning that if someone wants two syrups from the clear bottles you only charge for one. Not all our partners do that, though...I never charge for 3 if they want them, only 2 if I'm in a rush and not thinking clearly...definitely something I will need to look up myself and ask the manager...

And Peppermint White Mocha wasn't always on the POS screen....before Christmas you had to press add peppermint, with the extra charge. For the holidays, it was promotional, so there was a special button. We were told after the holidays to go back to ringing them separately, but the button never went away. Most customers didn't know or care....except one lady who pitched a fit on me in the drive-thru one day b/c I charged her 'too much'. I told her we weren't supposed to use that button anymore, but I could this time...she didn't like that though. Apparently she had been told before and it didn't matter to her. Our manager said the button would get deleted when we got the new POS screen setup, but it didn't. Sad times...

[Sho Nuff]

On drink charging: I was told from the beginning that if someone wants two syrups from the clear bottles you only charge for one. Not all our partners do that, though...I never charge for 3 if they want them, only 2 if I'm in a rush and not thinking clearly...definitely something I will need to look up myself and ask the manager...

And Peppermint White Mocha wasn't always on the POS screen....before Christmas you had to press add peppermint, with the extra charge. For the holidays, it was promotional, so there was a special button. We were told after the holidays to go back to ringing them separately, but the button never went away. Most customers didn't know or care....except one lady who pitched a fit on me in the drive-thru one day b/c I charged her 'too much'. I told her we weren't supposed to use that button anymore, but I could this time...she didn't like that though. Apparently she had been told before and it didn't matter to her. Our manager said the button would get deleted when we got the new POS screen setup, but it didn't. Sad times...

[Jewels]

Richard-

Maybe these people ARE paying $5 a drink to be rude and abusive. Everyone needs to vent (and some are just so insecure they use abuse as a way to feel superior)

Isn't that supposed to be what sets us apart? Customer service?

Yes, many pay $5 for the exceptional coffee.
Some pay $5 for a warm experience where everyone knows their name.
Perhaps some pay $5 to be able to be as damned picky, rude, condescending, etc as they want without recourse.

It's an unpopular opinion, I realize, but it's what we do. It's our job to provide an uplifting experience to our ALL our customers.

It's our job. Do it or walk, I guess. Take solace in the fact that %99.9 of our customers are wonderful people.

That's a much higher percentage than the general poplulation, wouldn't you agree?

[Monkey Horse]

Honestly, the employees (if they really are employees) who are posting on here and saying 'ah, no big deal. you treat me wrong, I decaf you' ARE PART OF THE 'PROBLEM' that Starbucks is struggling with (and is likely to continue to struggle with)

So, investors / customers / employees / anyone else: the next time some bad news comes out about the company's financials, remember these posts as you quixotically inquire 'Why aren't things picking up?'

We focus on removing holiday bears or the smell of a morning breakfast sandwich while employing individuals who are idiotic enough to think that it's EVER appropriate to intentionally alter a customer's drink order. There's the problem.

Until something is done about the quality / attitude / commitment of the bux labor pool, I don't think things will fundamentally 'turn around'. The company got too big, let its hiring, training, and 'scrutinizing' standards down, and this is what we get ... people who write 'Be a bitch, get decaf....it's not the end of the world.'

Garbage in, garbage out.

[YouAreDivaBrilliance]

Garbage in, garbage out.

EXACTLY! This is exactly what's going on.

I couldn't have put it more precisely!

[bah]

Hehh.

Out of the three years I've been a barista, I've given decaf about twice. I don't really consider myself garbage, either.

But then again, I could care less what other baristas due for revenge....

[bah]

And by "due" I mean do.

[anorexic espresso whore]

skinny bitchez in the NYC area, be advised: if upon first sip of your so-called "skinny" latte you even *think* you might have detected the filmy, cloying mouthfeel of 2% - or godforbid - WHOLE milk, promptly toss the cup of the offending, calorie-laden liquid into the barista's fat face.

[AEW]

*Disclaimer: The above is intended FOR ENTERTAINMENT PURPOSES ONLYL. I AM, in fact, a skinny bitch myself - and a rather timid one at that (previous post notwithstanding).

One time, I somehow managed to forget to request nonfat milk for my cappuccino. Upon making this realization, I informed my friendly barista, who graciously remade my drink. Not wanting to land myself on this barista' "hate list," I slipped a few dollars into the tip jar. After all, it was my mistake.

[Anonymouse]

The alarming part of the convo doesn't seem to be whether a person can taste the diff between whole and nonfat - it's that a stranger would substitute an ingredient, period, without knowing a person's true medical history. Some people have medical conditions that can be triggered by what may only seem to be a "small" switcheroo - the fat content of the milk, the full-sugar syrup being substituted for the sugar-free that was requested...It doesn't matter how rude a customer is perceived to be - there's no excuse for deliberately doing that to someone - sometimes it will happen unintentionally, we're all just human beings. But that barista wasn't the Olsen Twin's physician - her readership of the National Enquirer doesn't entitle her to pass judgement on what a person should be consuming.
Presuming everything's true, of course. Knowing the kind of money the Olsen's have - it wouldn't be that barista's smartest move to make a public admission.

I rarely order a blended drink because of this type of thing - full sugar drinks, even a sip or two, can cause an intestinal problem for me - I can't always trust that they use the sugar-free version. I make life simple for the barista and add my own cream and sweetener.

[Bill]

If someone has one of the aforementioned medical conditions where a certain ingredient means sudden illness or death, they need to watch their drink being made.

Not because they expect a barista to be evil, but because even the best will make a mistake once in a while.

Or at the very least they should make sure they don;t piss off the people who are fixing their beverages.

[Spirific!]

I look forward to news of the various tort suits against starbucks and these individuals when the first allergic reaction / medical condition arises from one of these idiots switching an ingredient. Most people most of the time are ordering things according to preference, but all it takes is one person one time ordering something for another, more vital reason.

In fact, the fact that these 'switcheroos' are being done intentionally might even trigger criminal prosecutions! Awesome! Another black eye for the bux.

[espressoblend]

Or at the very least they should make sure they don;t piss off the people who are fixing their beverages.

Posted by: Bill | May 23, 2008 2:45:07 PM

WRONG!

[Mocha]

more like RIGHT.

But its not just at starbucks. You should NEVER try and piss off the person fixing your food or waiting on you. Nor the cashier or stocker in a store. Or even the guy you walk next to on the street. They're human too!

ESPRESSOBLEND, it looks like you need to go back to 3rd grade etiquette.

[buster4lyf]

You people freaking out over this need lives, they just put this story up to entertain people as there wasnt anything of importance to report.

just get over it.

its nothing to cry about.

[Ria Rhodes]

Be kinda nice if every year I didn't have to call Starbuck's investor relations and ask for my shareholder card. They seem to never remember who their shareholders are, or perhaps they know only who their big institutional shareholders are. Be nice to be remembered, especially when I've hung in there losing two-thirds of the value of my Starbuck's stock over the past few years.

[Lala]

Wow you have all been drinking way too much of the kool-aid! i'm a partner and i thought this was hilarious :)